Hoost, a colourful statement on the Belgian coast
Erscheinungsdatum: 14.08.2025
Anyone who has visited the coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist in recent years will have noticed a very special residential tower rising on the site of the old town hall of the borough of Heist. Construction began in 2022 on a particularly colourful 13-storey tower with an extraordinary outer shell consisting of stacked blocks. The construction of the tower and the landscaping of the surrounding area are now nearing completion, with delivery scheduled for this autumn.
Hoost is a particularly colourful, 13-storey tower on the Belgian coast.
This ‘box of blocks’ will be a new Community House, designed by the renowned Parisian architectural firm Jakob + MacFarlane, founded in 1998. Together with developer CAAAP-Artes Depret, the Belgian architectural firm B2Ai was commissioned by AGSO Knokke-Heist to carry out this project on the Maes- en Boereboom square. The footprint of ‘Hoost’ is 1,600 m².
Urban landmark
The tower, which includes an event hall and more than 90 apartments, has a new 15,000 m² square at its base, an underground car park for more than 250 cars and an area for shops and restaurants. The design fits in almost seamlessly with other designs by Jakob + MacFarlane. French-New Zealand architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane have received numerous national and international awards for their architecture, urban planning and design firm for their research into the development of innovative and socially engaged architecture that is tailored to the environmental and other challenges of the 21st century. The firm is best known for its buildings that serve as true urban landmarks, of which Hoost is a prime example.
The stacking of the blocks has the ambition of a landmark, but at the same time takes maximum account of the environment.
“The Community House stands out thanks to its outer shell”, says a spokesperson at executive architect B2Ai. “The stacking of the blocks or ‘houses’ aims to create a landmark, but at the same time takes the surroundings into account as much as possible. For example, the volume of the tower was determined after a shadow study to ensure that the sunlight entering the surrounding residential units would not be affected.”
Stacked residential programme
The new community centre will house services provided by the municipality of Knokke-Heist. It will have a library with an internet café, a wedding and council chamber, police services and a multifunctional hall with two floors. The main entrance on the west facade is striking thanks to a monumental staircase leading to the first floor. This space also provides access to the library and games library on the ground floor. The internet café is located on the south-west corner and is of double height.
Renderings of the residential programme.
The residential programme is stacked on top of the public spaces, which also illustrates how Hoost aims to create connections. The designers want this to be a place where people not only live, but also experience and meet each other. Levels +2 to +13 have been filled with a mix of housing types that together define the image of the tower. The duplex homes, with gardens, terraces or winter gardens over two floors, will further enhance the image.
Colour and sustainability
Hoost may be primarily visually innovative, with colours ranging from bright green to orange, purple and yellow, but it aspires to be more than just that. The designers claim that this project is also a pioneer in the field of sustainability. We note that a geothermal heat pump is used, which is connected to a BEO field under the square. This technology should guarantee fossil-free heating in winter and passive cooling in summer.